Shift structure



0-. E. MILLS.

SHIFT STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED'JULYB. 1919.

1,355,346. Patented Oct. 12,1920.

UNITED STATES" CLAUFEJMILLs; on DES "MOIKES,"I6WA.

, SHIFT STRUCTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pat ted ()'t 12 1.921)

Application'filed July 8, 1919. Serial N0: 309,410.

To (all whom itrmag concern:

Be it known that I CLAUD E. MILLS, a citizen of the Unitedtates-,- anda resident of Des =Mo'ines, -in"the county 'ofPolk and State oiiilowa, "have invented a certain new and useful Shift i Structure of which the folloWi-ngris a specification.

Theiobjeetrof my invention is to provide a shift 'St'IHOtHI'B' ofsimple; durable and ineX ensive constructionw 1 lloreparticularly it is my obj'ectto'pro- Vide such a de icehavin'ga hub slid-ably and rotatably mounted and provided' with gearingndevices' adaptedto' move respectively tocooperative position. with another gearing device when the hub is slid 'lon'gitutlh na lly;'a-nthto 'piovide in: connection with said slidin gi hub andvgeai ing "devices simple and novel' mecha'nism" for controlling and actuating. wtheasliding movement of: :the hub.

Avfurthenobj'ectis to provide a clutch meehanismi so constructed and arranged as to impose: a minimum of wear on the parts when they: are in engaging position, while at' the same': time utilizing the maximum of said parts. 2

lVith these and otheriobjects in View my invention" consists :in the construction, arrange-meat 'an'd combination of the various par-ts oh the device; wherebyl-th'e obj ects "contemp'lated ai -e attainedyas hereinafter more fuli'yqsee toith pointed out in my claims, and :illtl'stlated in the accompanying drawings,--in "which": Figure 1 shown central, sectional VlGW through" i a reverse gear 7 clutch" mechanism embodying invention;- and mounted in a suitable-gem casing;

Figs showsa sectional View taken on the lineof-Fi g. =1. 7 Fig; shows a sectional View of-one'of the clutch' members which is fixe'd to'the geja r casing! 'Fi'ga- 5 shows two of thecoactin'g clutch members laid out in plan and arranged in one? of their relative 'ositionst 6 shows'a similar View "illustrating said coa'ctingl'clnt'ch members' 'i'n another of their adjusted "positions.

In the accompanying drawings I have used the refeen'c e numeral 10 to' indicate View taken on the generally 1 the 1 gear casing in which most of y the operative mechanism" of my shift structme is eontainedb-- Within the gear casing-1O are cross frame membersgll forming supports forthe parts hereinafter :Inentioned; j

Mounted I in the frame members T l1-- are rollerbearings" 12E Slidably-qand rotatabl mounted in 1 the roller bearings;12 is a wh'o low hub l? On thehubl3=between the resp'ectlveframe members l l are screw-threaded'portions 14f and-1 5; Mounted on-the respective" screw-threaded portions 14 and" 15 are oppositely facing spa'ced beveledgears l6 and-17. v I iL COIlSldQILblG portion of the l1llb "13'-b-' tween the gears lo a-I'1d 17 is provided. with teeth 18 adapted tOjCOtCt with gear extend edthrough the wall of the casing 110;

, Extending" 13l 1I'0ll5gh-f the wall of the casing 10 is a" power shaft 19', v on the innerend of which withinthe gea'i' -casi ng zis a beveled gear 20, designed to mesh with the respective beveled gears 16 and- 17 -in' different sliding positionsof the hub 13':

Extending through the opposite: walls of the gear casing 10: and through the hollow hub 13 is a shaft-22 Received within one end-o-the" hollow hub 13' and-"fixed, to the interior -wall oi the geancasing :lOlis a clutch member 21 provided hviththe :al-ternatingwteeth and notches '26 and-2T Each tooth 26 has one face 26 with its longitudinalaxis parallel with the -loi'i'gitudinal axis of the hub 13,, and has another face 30,-whioh is bevel-ed. The'clutch l nember 21 is shown laid out in blank in Fig;;5. Slida-ble butnonwotatable on the shaft '22 adjacentit'o the clutch meIn-l'ier21, is a .coacting clutch member 23 which is show-n laid out in plan'in Figso and6.

r The'clutch member 23 has' altei'nating teeth 28 and notchesi29. The teeth 28 each have a beveled edge or' face 32, and a face 31 with its longitudinal axisparallel with the longitudinal axis 'of-the' face 22;- The hollow hub 13 is provided with an annular shoulder 24' against which the clutch memher abuts. The clutch members 21 and 23- are so: arranged that when the teeth 28 of the clutch member 23 are' received within the notches 27 of the clutch member 21,

the'bevel'ed faces-of the teeth ot the clutch 7 member 21, is a clutch member 22*, similar in strurture to the clutch member 21, having teeth 22 and notches 22, similar to the teeth 26 and notches 27. a

Received within the hub 13, adjacent to the clutch member 22 is a clutch member 23 similar in structure to the clutch memof my improved shift structure. It will be understood that the clutch members 23 and 23 are slidably but non-rotatably mounted on the shaft 22 and when the teeth of one of the clutch'members 23 or 23 enter the notches of the adjacent clutch member, the teeth of the other'clutch member 23 or 23, as the case may be, will be free from the notches of its co-acting clutch member. Thus when the gear 17 is in mesh with the gear 20, the teeth of the clutch member 23, will have fully entered the notches 27" and rotation of the shaft 19 will impart rota.- tion to the gear 17 ,and the hub 13, so that any machinery, which it may be desired to operate from the hub '13, may bethusop- Y erated.

It'will be seen that in this operation the faces 31 and 26 of the teeth engage each other for thereby imposing a minimum of wear on the clutch members and utilizing the maximum strength thereof.

If it is desired to shift the hub 13 toneutral position the handle 30, is moved in anticlockwise direction. The first -movement of the handle 30 serves to move the teeth :28 away from the teeth 26 with which-they have been heretofore engaged, and to bring the beveled edges of the teeth 28 and 26together. This same movement caused the teeth on the clutch member 23 to clear the ends of the teeth 22 on the clutch member 22*. The next movement of the lever 30 causes the teeth 28 to slide on the beveled faces of the teeth 26 forcing the clutch member 23 longitudinally on the shaft 22 away from the'clutch member 21.' At the same time the hub 13 is moved toward the right for causing the teeth on the clutch member 23* to enter the notches 22.

It will be seen that the movement just described may be stopped at such a point as to hold the hub'13 in neutral position, where neither of the gears 17 or 16 is in engagement with the gear 20. A further movement of the arm or lever 30 causes the teeth on the clutch member 23 to fully enter the notches in the clutch member 22 and causes the teeth 28 to entirely withdraw from the notches 27 of the clutch member 21. A little further movement'of'the arm 30 causes I the teeth of the clutch member 23 to slide in the notches 22 and causes the teeth 28' to travel to the position shown in Fig. 5 with relation to the teeth 26. In the meanwhile the'gear 16 will have engaged the gear 20.

7 Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my device without departing from the essential features and purposes thereof, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents.

which may be reasonably included within the scope of my claims.

I claim as 'my invention.

1'. In a device of the class described; a hollow shaft slidably and rotatably mounted;

apair of'spaced opposite beveled gears on said shaft; a second shaft; a beveled gear thereon adapted to mesh with eitherof said first described beveled gears in different po-' sitions of the sliding movement of the first ranged to abut against said second described clutch members, the respective members of each pair of clutch members having co-acting notches and teeth, the co-acting teeth being provided respectively with beveled edges and with edges having. their lon itudinal axis parallel with the longitu inal axis of'said third shaft. V r

2. In a device of the class described, a hollow shaft slidably and rotatably mounted; a pair of spaced opposite beveled gears on said shaft; a second shaft; a beveled gear thereon adapted to mesh with either of said'first described beveled gears indifferent positions of the sliding movement of the first shaft; a supporting frame; spaced clutch members on said supporting frame; a third shaft extended through saidfirst shaft; clutch members mounted on said third shaft adjacent to the first described respective clutch members; said second described clutch members being slidably but non-rotatably supportedron said third shaft, said first shaft having on its interior shoulders arranged to abut against said seconddescribed clutch members, the respective mem bers of each pair of clutch members having co-acting notches and teeth, the co-acting teeth provided respectively with beveled edges and'with edges having their longitudinal axes parallel with the longitudinalaxis of said third shaft; said teeth having flat outer ends. r 7 1 3. In a device of the class described; a support; a hollow shaft slidably and rotatably mounted ;a second shaft suitably supported and received within said first shaft;

clutch members mounted on said co-acting co-ecting notches and teeth, the co-acting clutch members'on said second shaft within teeth being provided respectively with bev- 10 said first shaft arranged ad'acent t0 the re eled edges and with edges having their 1011- spective first described clutc members; said gitudinal axes parallel with the longitudinal first shaft having on its interior shoulders, axis of said third shaft.

arranged to abut against said second de- 1 Des Moines, Iowa, June 10,1919.

scribed clutch members; the respective memr bers of each pair of clutch members having CLAUD E. MILLS. 

